Did you know that the Queens Wharf development will include Velo Cafe, a hub for cyclists to change or grab some food and drinks before they head to their next destinations?
The two-storey venue found close to the Bicentennial Bikeway will also be a pitstop area for runners, as well as pedestrians and tourists visiting Queens Wharf who may want to grab a quick bite.
However, Velo Cafe will be specifically designed with cyclists in mind as it will include changing rooms and showers that will entice more people to get around Brisbane’s inner cities on bicycles. The area by the foreshore will be featured with “transformational landscaping works” that will activate an often underused riverside area.
Photo Credit: Queens Wharf Brisbane
“The establishment of the new Velo Café on one of Queensland’s busiest bike ways is warmly welcomed by bike riders,” Bicycle Queensland CEO Rebecca Randazzo said.
“We can’t overlook the obvious synergy of the café facilities. For many Brisbane bike riders, coffee and riding go together like Disney and happily ever after.”
Velo Cafe, as well as the transformational public space, is expected to be completed in 2023.
Meanwhile, work on the Riverside Expressway that connects to the Bicentennial Bikeway has been ongoing since May 2022. As such, a temporary bikeway diversion has been opened on the Bicentennial Bikeway for pedestrians and active transport users. Cyclists and electric scooters are expected to observe reduced speed limits.
Temporary bridge structures in three sections along the route were also installed along with lighting, directional signage, mirrors and hoarding along the bikeway.
The 12-month project is expected to deliver The Landing, a beautiful and safe public space, where future recreational events like outdoor food, art and lighting festivals will soon take place.
Here’s an idea. An elevated open space and active transport link within Fortitude Valley, which will provide a broader connection loop from Victoria Park through to New Farm, to be built in time for the Brisbane 2032 Games? Find out how you can support this idea or share your own.
Luke Micali, a senior landscape architect at Vee Design in collaboration with Mike Jones put forward this concept at the ‘Inner Spark,’ a Council initiative where locals are invited to share their big ideas and help shape the future of the inner city in time for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Dubbed as “LeBron Link,” the elevated open space will provide a broader connection loop from Victoria Park through to New Farm, ultimately connecting major destinations and green space and providing much-needed equitable green space.
A lot the good projects in the city, such as Howard Smith Wharves, the Green Bridge program, and Queen’s Wharf once came from big ideas from locals.
Other Futuristic Ideas
Photo credit: Brisbane City Council
Tessa Leggo of Fred St suggested ‘The Block Park,’ where all streets bounded by Stanley, Wellington, Ipswich and Balaclava, will feature parkland style streetscape and car travel is local only.
Photo credit: Brisbane City Council
Architects at FORM suggested ‘Frog’s Hollow Civic Space,’ a new civic space on the corner of Albert and Mary streets that provides a green focus opposite the new Cross River Rail Station and further reinforces the green spine between the City Botanic Gardens and Roma Street Parklands.
Photo credit: Brisbane City Council
Business South Bank put forward a ‘City-wide Bougainvillea Path,’ a wayfinding device that helps links all of the significant places in Brisbane.
“Extend the South Bank Bougainvillea arbour to not only create a welcoming, safe, subtropical trail that promotes and encourages walking throughout the inner city but provides a beautiful and iconic backdrop for the city,” Business South Bank wrote.
Share Your Ideas!
What would you like Brisbane to look like, and beyond? Get your creativity flowing and share your big ideas with the community or vote from among the ones submitted by other residents.
You can share your big ideas for Brisbane under seven themes:
Welcoming – Create more to see and do, promote access and inclusion
Connected – Improve the cycle network, enhance river connections, upgrade public transport, improve connections to inner city green space
July has seen Brisbane bid farewell to some of the most popular restaurants and bars in its dining scene, as a handful of restaurants and bars at the Eagle St Pier serve their last customers and contemplate what’s next.
Coppa, City Winery, Sake, Fatcow Steak & Lobster, and Naga Thai served their final orders Saturday, 16 July, whilst The Coffee Club, Mr and Mrs G, Rico Bar & Dining, and The Bavarian’s last call for orders was on Sunday, 17 July.
Guzman y Gomez, The Kookaburra Queen, George’s Paragon, and Grill’d have already shut their doors a few weeks ahead.
Jade Buddha and Shadow Lounge, which have been on the pier for 18 years, will continue to operate for now, with their closure dates still being finalised. Jade Buddha’s Phil Hogan said they have yet to receive a proper closure order from Dexus.
Though devastated about the mass closure of such a piece of prime real estate, many of the owners and operators on Eagle St Pier are moving on to other plans, whilst also anticipating the revitalisation of the precinct.
Photo Credit: EagleStreetPier.com.au
Tom Sanceau of Coppa is weighing on either opening a new restaurant at a nearby location or finding opportunities in London.
Naga Thai’s Andrew Baturo is also checking out new spaces to open by 2023 but he is hopeful to come back to Eagle St Pier, which will be part of a new $2.1-billion redevelopment. Baturo believes that the upcoming world-class entertainment precinct is just what Brisbane needs.
Mr and Mrs G’s Chris Higgins, Liam McMahon and chef Adrian Richardson are moving onto BOS, their new restaurant in the CBD. BOS is tentatively set to open in October.
From Eagle St Pier to Waterfront Brisbane
For over 30 years, restaurants have come and gone at Eagle St Pier, which boasts of a fantastic view of the river from the Story Bridge. In 2015, Dexus the precinct with a plan to redevelop the site into Waterfront Brisbane with more spaces for dining spots.
The project will also include two office towers and generous public space, as well as a new Riverwalk for pedestrians and cyclists, which will open in 2024. One of the office towers is projected for completion in 2026.
Nonetheless, these restaurateurs are grateful to have been given the opportunity to establish their businesses or build their hospitality careers on the pier.
Located on the ground floor of The Calile Hotel, Sushi Room focuses on traditional ways of preparing Japanese dishes, using simple ingredients yet sophisticated ideas.
Simon Gloftis and co-owners Theo Kampolis and Kelvin Andrews, who’s also behind Hellenika and SK Steak & Oyster, enlisted Head Chef Shimpei Raikuni to execute their idea of presenting dishes using ‘fresh and high-quality ingredients.’
Photo credit: Jeffery Du/Google Maps
Sushi Room, which positioned itself as ‘nuanced, harmonious, considered’ serves sushi and sashimi sets, tempura, sushi roll, and wanmono/sainomono (soup-based dishes).
Fans of nigiri can find a lot of options here, with selections like caviar (France), sake king salmon (New Zealand), and Japan’s very own uni sea urchin and Kagoshima wagyu sirloin.
Photo credit: Ricardo Russon/Google Maps
The 60-seater minimalist dining room, featuring retro-inspired decor was designed by Richards & Spence, who is known for their works at The Calile on Ada Lane and Fish Lane.
Guests who come for the booze can find some Japanese-inspired cocktails, carefully curated selection of Sake, wines, and whiskies to go with their sashimi and sushi.
Learn more about Sushi Room’s offering by visit them at The Calilie Hotel along James St. Guests are encouraged to book through their website.
After expanding in Queensland in late 2021, Releaf, the first dedicated facility of its kind in Australia, has opened a new outlet in Fortitude Valley.
Releaf Group Founder and CEO Gary Mackenzie said that thousands of Queenslanders are looking for a multi-disciplinary approach to healthcare and they are glad to be in the position to provide a new clinic and dispensary as an option.
Releaf also provides a telehealth or video chat system for patients who prefer not to go to the Fortitude Valley clinic.
Photo Credit: Releaf/Facebook
Meanwhile, Mackenzie wants to establish Releaf as a one-stop shop, providing end-to-end service to the patients from consultations and health assessments, prescribing the treatment, and offering the treatment at their store.
The company first launched in Victoria in 2017 and has opened clinics in the Sunshine Coast, Noosa Heads, and Caloundra via franchisees. Soon, Releaf will open a medical cannabis compounding pharmacy in Fortitude Valley.
In Queensland, medicinal cannabis is classified as either Schedule 3, Schedule 4, or Schedule 8 controlled substances. Its use must be prescribed by licensed doctors, particularly for Schedule 4 – cannabidiol (CBD) and Schedule 8 – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or tetrahydrocannabinol: cannabidiol (THC:CBD) products. However, it is illegal to drive with any amount of THC in one’s system even if this has been prescribed.
See if plant-based medicine might work for you. Visit Releaf at 2/394 Brunswick Street or phone (07) 3177 2070.
Did you know that a bigger and better Brisbane Night Noodle Markets will feature 12 drool-worthy nights at its new home in Brisbane’s City Botanic Gardens?
After a two-year hiatus, Brisbane Night Noodle Markets will open on Wednesday, 15 June, until Sunday, 26 June, in a beautiful riverside venue filled with hawker-style stalls and pop-ups.
From slurpable noodles and steaming hot dumplings to melt-in-your-mouth bao and Insta-worthy desserts, locals and visitors will have the chance to feast on an array of sizzling, sweet and spicy meals and morsels from an exciting mix of popular local, national and interstate eateries at these days and times:
DAY
TIME
Monday – Wednesday
5:00pm – 9:00pm
Thursday – Friday
5:00pm – 10:00pm
Saturday
4:00pm – 10:00pm
Sunday
5:00pm – 9:00pm
If you have dietary requirements, heaps of shops with vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and Halal options will be on offer along with tasty, filling and healthy dishes.
Expect crowd favorites like Hoy Pinoy, Flying Noodles, May’s Malaysian Hawker, Wonderbao, Gelato Messina, and Twistto to make a comeback as well, alongside new stallholders and popular partner brands such as Dan Murphy’s Zero% Bar, Gage Roads Beer Garden, and Aperol Spritz Kombi Bar.
The Night Noodle Markets will be serving Australia’s popular non-alcoholic beer Heaps Normal, a range of beverages from Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, and Rekorderlig Cider.
“The Brisbane Night Noodle Markets are one of Queensland’s most popular food events and Mr Yum will make the experience in 2022 even better by offering mobile ordering for drinks and food. Ordering through Mr Yum will help people skip multiple queues at once and we can’t wait to also welcome Brisbanites into the Mr Yum Garden on site in the City’s Botanic Gardens, where they can come to hang out and enjoy their meal,” Mr Yum CEO and Co-founder Kim Teo said.
Two amateur artists from Brisbane, Natasha Chee and Calum Presser, won the 2021 Best Overall Traffic Signal Box at the annual Artforce Brisbane Awards for their artwork, ‘Spring Hill in Spring Time’.
Natasha Chee who is a Design Assurance Manager at Brisbane’s Queen’s Wharf Brisbane Development and Calum Prasser, a built environment professional, were named as the Overall Winner at the Annual Artforce Brisbane Awards.
The traffic signal box (B8114) located at Gregory Tce & Victoria Park entry road in Spring Hill sprung to life thanks to the lovely artwork masterfully executed by the pair. The design, they said, “celebrates the distinct local architecture and streetscapes of Spring Hill, Brisbane.”
Furthermore, the artwork seeks to “reflect the colours, fine-grain details and interest of the neighbourhood.” The pair said that they hope the artwork brings joy to the viewers as well as an appreciation for the suburb’s unique character and architecture so it can be preserved for future generations.
The 2021 Artforce Brisbane Awards were held last 26 April with Lord Mayor of Brisbane Adrian Schrinner presenting the awards. The Awards honour the outstanding Artforce Brisbane artworks completed in the preceding 12 months.
The list of winners is as follows:
Lord Mayor’s Award
Name: Lisa-Marie Vecchio; Title: High hopes and green slopes; Location: TSB 0475, Juliette St & Earl St, Greenslopes
Except for the Energex Pad-mount Transformers (EPT), which has its own category, all participants who painted a traffic signal box are eligible to enter into the Lord Mayor’s award and Overall Winner categories. Whilst all participants are eligible for the People’s Choice Award.
Nominations for the 2022 Awards will be open in June.
Count the days until the 19th of May 2022, when New Zealand clothing brand Rodd & Gunn opens The Lodge Bar & Dining. The flagship restaurant will be occupying a heritage-listed Queenslander at the corner of James and Robertson Sts in Fortitude Valley.
The new dining destination combines retail and hospitality and will be Rodd & Gunn’s fourth venture after Queenstown (2016), Auckland (2020) and Melbourne (2021). The Lodge Bar & Dining sits on a 749sqm space and can host up to 150 guests offering food, wine and men’s fashion.
The Brisbane location will contain a 120-seat restaurant on the ground floor with a corner bar with banquette seating that will be connected to the Rodd & Gunn retail space. Upstairs is another bar with a private dining area that will also take advantage of its wrap-around balcony where guests can enjoy panoramic views of James Street. The fit-out will feature American oakwood flooring, wool rugs, brass highlight and flagstone walls.
Matt Lambert and head chef James Angelenos will be in charge of the eatery’s a la carte menu which will feature locally sourced ingredients with a strong focus on fresh seafood finds.
Photo Credit: Rodd & Gunn / www.roddandgunn.com
Cameron Douglas, The Lodge Bar Group’s Master Sommelier, on the other hand, will curate the expansive wine list that will highlight the best of New Zealand wines along with some selections from Australia and Europe.
More projects will be coming soon for the New Zealand clothing brand with several negotiations for future locations in Canada, the USA and the UK already underway.
